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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27452365">Smiling in the dark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercy_Reg/pseuds/Mercy_Reg'>Mercy_Reg</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:29:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,902</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27452365</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercy_Reg/pseuds/Mercy_Reg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been five years since the fire lord has been defeated. Katara and Aang are no longer together. Life just seems so different since the war is over. But what about the war inside our minds? Katara and Zuko always had something between them, will it bloom into something more? *Zutara*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara stood in the balcony of their high rise and took in a deep breath. The moon was full today. She had been living there with Sokka and Hakoda for 3 years now, this place was pretty much home.</p><p>It's been 5 years since Aang defeated Firelord Ozai and a little over a year since they broke up.</p><p>It's all so weird how 5 years ago their biggest concern was the war, defeating the fire lord was all they could think about, but now that the war was over life was just so different.</p><p>She can't help but think about Aang, she loved him, she really did, with all her heart too and so did Aang but  sometimes love is not enough. Katara and Aang were perfect in every way, for the first two years of their relationship they were everything for eachother but then things started changing.And no, none of them was cheating or anything, they just started leading really different lives. They started growing distant. It was like at the end of the day they had nothing to say to eachother.</p><p>Katara and Aang both tried to salvage their relationship in their own ways but it didn't work out.</p><p>Fast forward to now, all Katara was left with was the memories. It took her a long time to understand that she was not in love with Aang anymore, rather she was in love with these memories. Countless nights she spent typing and then backspacing messages to Aang. She cried, she was hurting, she was angry at the universe for letting this happen to Aang and her but she wasn't sure she wanted it back. It had been really hard to accept this but they had outgrown each other. And Katara although not happy was for once at peace with the world tonight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Zuko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko sipped on some tea and drew a deep breath. Being the Firelord was stressful. It had taken him the entire first year of being fire lord to get used to the pressures of the throne, but even today he struggled with it now and then.</p><p>Azula was seeking treatment at one of the best mental health institutions in the country. He would visit her every week and if he were being honest Azula still had a long way to go but every week she seemed a little better than the last.</p><p>Ty lee had joined the Kyoshi warriors and was off training at Kyoshi island.</p><p>That leaves us with Mai. Well there really wasn't a lot to say in that matter. Zuko and Mai both had realised they weren't the one for eachother soon enough. They were still really good friends but not a couple anymore. Their relationship had ended within two months too, so there really wasn't a lot of hurt or memories involved.</p><p>He missed his time with the gaang. He had joined pretty late and had barely gotten to spend a couple months with them, but still they were some of his fondest memories. He missed everyone, Aang, Sokka, Toph and Katara.</p><p>Katara and Zuko shared a bond, he didn't have with anyone else. Zuko had saved her life and Katara had saved his. Even now when he thought about her a little smile crept on his lips. He really liked her but wasn't sure how or why and had assumed the chemistry must've had something to do with having saved eachother's lives.</p><p>Since Mai, he had a couple girlfriends but none that he was serious about. He wasn't really into romantic relationships as of right now. He had a lot going on with the restorations and decolonisation efforts.</p><p>Oh, that being said, Zuko remembered there was this big meeting coming up in less than a week. Everyone was going to be there, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph probably even Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors. In these five years it had only been a few times when the entire gaang had been together and he was looking forward to meeting them all again after so long.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Katara</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today was the big day. It was the day of the meeting. The gaang was finally together in one place again but Katara had her reservations. For one the gaang getting together meant she had to meet Aang. The past one year since their break up Katara had spent any joint meeting largely avoiding Aang. It had worked too because Aang understood but that didn't mean their was no akwardness in the air. Katara couldn't help thinking how comically tragic it all was.</p><p>She had really really wanted to stay friends with Aang after the break up but had soon realised that wouldn't work. They were too comfortable with each other and staying in touch would mean they'd soon fall back in a relationship.</p><p>Going through her wardrobe she decided on a white formal shirt, blue demins and a black coat. Basic, formal, not too much not too less. Minimal makeup, a pair of boots and she was ready. Now all she had to do was wait for Sokka.</p><p>Sokka had gone out with their dad to visit Bato. He had just gotten back and was in the shower.</p><p>That left Katara with enough time to wonder about the past,the future, what could've been, what shouldn't have been. It was all very confusing, very tiring, very exhausting to think about. It only sounded cool to say that five years ago a group of teenagers had saved the world, no one ever thought about the consequences of this war, the PTSD, the deaths, everything they went through that they shouldn't have been made to. Even though she didn't like to accept it, the pressure of having the world's fate rest on her shoulders had really affected her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Aang must've been going through and now she was guilty for leaving him to deal with all of this alone.</p><p>More exhausted than ever Katara flopped down on the bed and waited for Sokka.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>" No Sokka you can't wear shorts to a meeting like this."</p><p>"With a tank top? They show off my biceps. "</p><p>" What do you mean with a tank top? There's going to be so many important people and this meeting is really instrumental in deciding the future of the four nations and you think it's a beach party? "</p><p>" I mean it's on Ember Island. "</p><p>" Zuko only chose to have this meeting in Ember Island because you wouldn't stop pestering him about it-</p><p> " What me? Hey no -</p><p>" -so that you could leave the meeting when it got too boring and stare at hot girls on the beach. "</p><p>" What? That doesn't even make sense-</p><p>" Exactly. "</p><p>Sokka was officially offended now.</p><p>" What do you mean I wanted to have this meeting on Ember Island because I wanted to look at hot girls? I just thought it'd be nice to meet again at a place which holds so many memories of us and it certainly doesn't hurt that the Fire nation girls- "</p><p>Ugggghhhh. I just can't with you! Put on a normal shirt and just come on. "</p><p>Katara was already done with her idiot brother.</p><p>Finally exactly twenty seven minutes late they left for the air port and caught their flight to Ember Island.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Zuko</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was tired, nothing new there. It was the day of the meeting and for some reason he had been so nervous about it he could hardly get any sleep the night before. Aang was in Ba Sing Se the previous weekend for work stuff and he was flying down to Ember Islands directly from there. However Aang's flight still had an hour to arrive, it was Katara and Sokka he was worried about. For one, Zuko didn't like being late and two,an angry Katara kinda made him shit his pants. They really hadn't met a lot these five years, even if they had  they hadn't really gotten to talk life much.  He didn't exactly know why but something made him want to look nice for today's meeting, so he went along with it. <br/>Once he was done dressing, he worked on his hair. Boy these fire nation hair styles took so long and god damn if Zuko could do them without anyone's help. <br/>After about 15 minutes and two attendants slapping on heckloads of hair spray on his hair Zuko was ready. </p>
<p>Late and flustered Zuko reached the airport around 10 minutes later than he was supposed to. Thankfully Katara and Sokka weren't there yet. Their flight must've delayed.<br/>He took out his phone and opened his instagram. He hadn't even scrolled enough when he came upon this old picture of the og gaang some fanpage had shared. He zoomed in on his face and then Katara's. He liked the picture and had scrolled to the next but before he could take it in he noticed a familiar duo walk out the gates. Katara with her cannot miss hair loopies and Sokka with his uh...there was nothing about his you could miss. <br/>There Sokka was in a bright green floral shirt which also had palm trees in it. And were those Shorts? <br/>He couldn't believe Katara had let him leave the house wearing that.</p>
<p>"You look great man, especially the palm trees. " </p>
<p>" Ayyyy thank you man. You don't look too shabby yourself. " </p>
<p>Zuko smiled. Classic Sokka. </p>
<p>Next Zuko tried to shake Katara's hand and Katara tried to hug him, then vice versa, they struggled for a few seconds and finally hugged.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Katara</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had only been a minute in Ember Island and it was already sweltering hot. Katara had to take off her overcoat no matter how important it was to the overall look. Zuko had arranged for royal limousines to take them to their hotel. Once they were there Katara had planned to rest for a while, get some food in her system and then get dressed and head over to the meeting. The meeting started at 3, people would start arriving by 2:30 which meant she would have to be there by 2:15. She spent a couple minutes reasoning whether 2:15 fell under freakishly-early or responsibly-early and decided on the later. <br/>Speaking of being responsible, where was Sokka. </p><p>"Sokkaaaaaa? You better start getting ready. We're leaving at 2."</p><p>All she heard in reply was faint sobbing and a male voice singing(?) 'guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about meeeeeee'</p><p>"...Sokka?" </p><p>"Sokka is that you?"</p><p>Katara knocked on the bathroom door.  </p><p>On getting no response she was about to kick it open when a tear strained Sokka came out. </p><p>"Are...are you okay?"</p><p>"Do I look okay?"</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>"It's been 5 hours Suki hasn't texted back." </p><p>Ugh. Of course. </p><p>They have been dating for over five years and their fights have reached the old married couple level. Yesterday they had another, now Sokka wouldn't stop moping about it. </p><p>Sometimes Katara couldn't help but admire their relationship. They just made it look so effortless. Also Sokka was actually planning on proposing and had asked for her help to plan the whole thing out even though it wasn't due for another 2 months. They were amazing together and Katara was so happy for her brother. </p><p>But that didn't stop her from dragging him by the ear to get ready. God knew how long he'd take to choose an outfit.</p>
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